ASU grad aims to elevate the 'city by the bay'
San Francisco native Mona Tideman Ball graduates this spring with a bachelor's degree in interior design. Courtesy photo
Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2026 graduates.
By Amanda Loudin
Graduating from high school in 2021 meant San Francisco’s Mona Tideman Ball didn’t have much chance to tour colleges in person. When she heard a radio ad for ASU, however, her interest piqued.
It was the consistently top-ranked Barrett, the Honors College and its John Meunier Fellowship Scholarship that really drew her in, and when she learned of the school’s dedication to inclusivity, Tideman Ball committed.
“ASU really welcomed me,” she says.
Tideman Ball entered college as a communications major, but a fellow student turned her on to The Design School, in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. She switched her major sophomore year and is receiving her bachelor’s degree in interior design this spring.
“I appreciate the practice of interior design,” she says. “It’s both academic and artsy.”
The classroom experience in the Design School was an unexpected bonus, says Tideman Ball.
“Our program is small, with only 60 students, so I’ve become close with all the students and teachers,” she says. “I thought I’d want to join a sorority, but I found my community through my program.”
Part of that community includes Professor Cheri Jacobs, the head of interior design, who taught Tideman Ball to believe in herself, a lesson that has served her well as she enters professional life.
“I learned to be outgoing, so I knocked on doors at design firms to find an internship in San Francisco,” she says. “That led to my first job at Kendall Wilkinson Design, which I start this summer.”
While that job will focus on interior home design, Tideman Ball hopes to one day immerse herself in the design of public spaces.
“I’ve really enjoyed learning about how the built environment can affect and impact a community,” she says. “ASU has allowed me to practice creativity while learning about how science, math and engineering all play a role in design.”
Here, she shares more about her time at ASU.
Question: What was your “aha” moment when you realized you wanted to study interior design?
Answer: My freshman roommate told me I had an eye for buildings and design and mentioned there was a degree program in design at ASU. I had no idea that was an option, and I switched majors immediately.
Q: What unwritten lesson are you taking away from ASU?
A: Coming to a new place gives you the opportunity to grow that you could not have at home. When I got to ASU from San Francisco, I met all types of people from different religions and political affiliations. It’s scary at first, but I feel like I’ll be returning home with a fresh perspective.
Q: Favorite spot on campus?
A: The design dorms on Mill at the Tempe campus. I spent a lot of time hanging out and studying there.
Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve a problem, what would you do with it?
A: I’d solve homelessness. It’s an issue everywhere, but growing up in San Francisco you see it every day. I want everyone to have a safe place to live.
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